The remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is primed to be the crown jewel of this year's Nintendo lineup--after all, this is a lovely-looking reimagining of a beloved and classic entry in one of the most revered video game franchises in the company's catalogue. Ocarina has received the remake treatment before for the 3DS handheld, but that left many of the core systems and the graphical art direction of the original Nintendo 64 game largely intact, albeit cleaner. This Switch 2 remake, by comparison, appears to be making more ambitious changes, while still carefully retaining the original's core identity. Check out our full Ocarina of Time preview for more details, but for a quick primer, here are the six biggest ways that this remake is transforming the experience of the original game.
The visual upgrade is beautiful
From the very first trailer, the new art style for the Ocarina of Time has been divisive. In motion, though, it won me over very quickly. Link, his friends in Kokiri Forest, and other characters, like those in Hyrule Castle Town, have kept their zany, exaggerated designs with an angular doll-like look. Patterns and textures on their clothing are especially lovely, with flourishes especially on Link's tunic and hat that makes him truly look like he's part of a forest ecosystem.
Similarly, the environmental design has gotten a spectacular makeover. Kokiri Forest looks overgrown and lush, and the dungeons of the Great Deku Tree and adult Link's Forest Dungeon look far more dank and decrepit than they did before. Both of these reimagined locations better illustrate to the player that these are unexplored spaces, and the real-time lighting effects from elements like Navi accentuate that feeling of spooky exploration.
The voice acting is better than you'd expect
The addition of full voice acting for this version of Ocarina means performers were given the tough task of living up to however they sounded in your head almost 30 years ago. Every player's mileage will likely vary, but for my part, I found the voices very well-done. The Great Deku Tree was a particular stand-out, sounding wizened and ancient, but also tired and weak. Saria delivered her goodbye to Link with a nice emotional tone.
The one voice that surprised me was Navi, who sounded less childlike than I had always imagined her. Though rudimentary, Navi did have some voice acting in the original game, and that pitchy "Hey! Listen!" made me think of her as a childlike sprite. She still sounds young, but perhaps more like a teenager or young woman than a kid. While it's going to take some time to adjust to Navi's new voice, the performer did a fine job, and I foresee myself quickly getting used to it in the full game.
A dedicated jump button is a fantastic change
The original Ocarina of Time was an experiment for Nintendo, which was trying to translate the 2D exploration of the classic top-down or sidescroller Zelda games to a new 3D medium. Jumping in the original Ocarina is automatic, so all of the game's platforming puzzles are simple--instead of testing timing, height, or distance, the challenge of platforming in Ocarina is entirely tied to where Link's jump begins.
This remake gives Ocarina a dedicated jump button, and it's a fairly significant change for the better.
With this change, jumping feels less random and out of your control. Platforming challenges still aren't emphasized--this isn't a Mario game by any stretch--but because you are able to exercise more control over Link's movements, failing to make a jump feels less like a frustrating stroke of bad luck you had no way of avoiding and more like a mistake on your part that you can adjust for. Being able to jump from anywhere also streamlines some of the exploration, like allowing you to jump up onto a wall of vines and immediately start climbing it.
Hyrule Field is still very empty…
Hyrule Field may have been mind-blowing when we first played it, but by modern standards it's a tiny stretch of land with a single point of interest in the middle. Hyrule Field is still your central hub for venturing to different quest areas like the watery Zora's Domain or Death Mountain, but the field itself just doesn't have much to do. That's largely unchanged in this remake. The land has been given some more visual texture, but it's still a mostly empty land.
… but Hyrule Castle Town is bustling
Hyrule Castle Town is meant to be the central city for the entire kingdom of Hyrule. And while this version certainly isn't as massive as modern cities in many open-world games, this remake has crafted it to feel more alive. The cast of NPCs are better animated and act more playfully, and the buildings and shops look much more detailed and active than they did in the original game. It all sells the idea that this town is, if not exactly a metropolis, at least a busy place where people go about their days and live their lives.
Joy-Con triggers and a new quick-select menu make combat feel way better
Between the Great Deku Tree and Forest Dungeon, I only experienced a little bit of combat. But what I did play felt great, recapturing the feeling of the original Ocarina with a few smart improvements. Link's sword slashes and dodges with Z-targeting felt just like I remembered, though it's entirely possible they were subtly tweaked.
In addition, this version of Ocarina of Time adds a few convenience features inspired by the modern, core Zelda games. An item bar similar to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom can be used to freely select your equipment. Plus the ZR button makes for a natural, intuitive way to aim ranged weapons like the slingshot or bow.